Ryan M. Danks

Superhero movies are all the same. The same plot. The same characters. Only the names are changed to protect the innocent. It’s gotten to the point where “superhero fatigue” is something we may have to prescribe medication for soon. But I believe this is but one phase in the world’s introduction to the superhero genre, and the original medium, comic books, have already shown us the cure.

Despite living only hours away, I only just made the trip to see the Grand Canyon. Not to climb, mind you, I’m not a huge fan of heights. If you climb up a mountain, you can go as high as you’re comfortable, then head back down. Canyons are the opposite; you start at the very top and make your descent, and then you have to climb back up the damn thing. No, we were there for some sightseeing, some Instagram

(Yes, I went to the Grand Canyon. I’m still compiling a post about that trip in the Exploration section. I have some cool stories from it, like getting chased by elk. It’s epic! But this is not about that.)

My fiction is taking a step to the next level: I’m working on a novel series. It’s a superhero tale with a slight twist –– “what if Doctor Strange, and not Iron Man, started The Avengers?” It’s like X-Men, but with

We all search for that little something that will give us an edge. The best and fastest way to lose weight. The secret to business that will make us millionaires. But here’s the truth: every secret we seek is already within us.

That isn’t to say that we won’t need instruction, but the road forward is clear if you’re willing to look at it. Don’t believe me? Check this out.

Pretend It’s The 1990’s

10,000 words. That’s how much I’ve written in the last week. That’s more than I’ve written in three years, especially for fiction. 5k of those words were in a previous project that I abandoned on Friday. The other 5k is my work on a new project. Why the shift? Because the first had no plot, and on Friday, after some study, I found a plot I can write to.

I’m a people pleaser, through and through. In fact, I’ve not done things that I really wanted to do because I thought some people might not be fans of it. How crazy, right?! To not care if I enjoyed something I was going to do because someone else might not like it. Naturally, if I lost a follow on Twitter or a friend on Facebook I would get super annoyed.

Over the last few years, I’ve struggled to complete stories I start writing. I’ll outline, plan, world-build, and it all seems interesting, but nothing gets produced. Then, a few months ago, I started co-writing a screenplay with a friend who has more of a ‘pantsing’ style of writing –– writing a bunch of drafts, with each one better than the last.

I’ve always had a problem pantsing it. Not because I can’t do it (it’s the only writing I’ve ever

The “transcendentals” have been explored for centuries, but I only just came upon the concept of how they are studied while listening to the MFCEO Project this morning. Immediately, I could see how they applied to my successes and failures in the past –– that’s not a suggestion that they are indicative of such, but could see where I worked within them and found good fortune, and where I violated them, to my detriment.

Jadepunk Had All

The following piece of short fiction is about a character in something I’m working on right now. Benjamin Feehan has recommended that I do little character pieces like this to get warmed up for the new project, and the idea intrigued me enough to get after it.

All of my flash fiction work is an exercise in exploring some meaningful character trait, emotion, or situation. As such, these are examples of first drafts of my work. I read through these